UNITED NATIONS A General Assembly Distr. GENERAL A/AC.96/846/Part I/6 18 July 1995 Original: ENGLISH EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE HIGH COMMISSIONER’S PROGRAMME Forty-sixth session UNHCR ACTIVITIES FINANCED BY VOLUNTARY FUNDS: REPORT FOR 1994-1995 AND PROPOSED PROGRAMMES AND BUDGET FOR 1996 PART I. AFRICA Section 6 - Djibouti (submitted by the High Commissioner) GE.95-02289 A/AC.96/846/Part I/6 page 3 I.6 DJIBOUTI 1. Beneficiary population 1. At 31 December 1994, there were some 32,100 refugees (20,400 Somalis and 11,700 Ethiopians) in the four refugee camps of Aour-Aoussa, Assamo, Ali-Ade and Holl-Holl. In addition, there were 1,050 Ethiopian and 200 Somali registered urban refugees residing in Djibouti-ville. However, by end March 1995, the refugee population in the camps contracted to 22,738 (2,956 Ethiopians and 19,782 Somalis), largely due to the UNHCR-conducted voluntary repatriation of Ethiopian refugees. 2. Developments in 1994 and 1995 2. A major repatriation operation of camp-based Ethiopian refugees was implemented from September 1994 to March 1995. During this period, about 17,000 refugees repatriated voluntarily through UNHCR-organized movements. Consequently, Aour Aoussa camp was closed at the end of February 1995. The remaining 1,500 refugees at Aour-Aoussa (625 Ethiopians and 875 Somalis) were all transferred to Ali-Ade refugee camp. Currently, 87 per cent of the remaining 23,000 refugees in the three camps is composed of Somali refugees, most of whom are of nomadic background, and of whom 80 per cent are women and children. 3. Following the signing of the Peace and Reconciliation agreement on 26 December 1994 between the Government of Djibouti and the opposition Front pour l’Unité et la Démocratie (FRUD), the authorities in Djibouti expressed readiness to facilitate the repatriation and reintegration of Djiboutian refugees of Afar origin who fled to north-eastern Ethiopia between 1991 and 1993 following internal conflict between the Issas and the Afars. The signing of the agreement has also led to a general normalization of the socio-political situation in the country and has encouraged many families to return to their places of origin. 4. UNHCR and the Governments of Djibouti and Ethiopia agreed in January 1995 on the continuation of the transfer operations covering the remaining 15,000 unassisted and unregistered urban refugees and displaced persons out of the 30,000 estimated in 1993. The future transfer operation will be carried out in the context of voluntary repatriation, whereby it is intended that repatriants will not stay for a long period of time in a transit centre. 5. The continuation of the transfer programme and the repatriation of about 18,000 Djiboutian refugees from eastern Ethiopia were the subject of a letter of "Mutual Understanding" signed by both Governments and UNHCR on 15 January 1995. 3. 1996 country programmes (a) Objectives 6. Promotion of the voluntary repatriation of refugees of various nationalities living in Djibouti remains UNHCR’s overall objective for 1996. In addition, UNHCR will continue to advocate a clear distinction between refugees and A/AC.96/846/Part I/6 page 4 economic migrants, and will cooperate with the authorities, other United Nations agencies and the Inter-Government Authority on Drought and Development (IGADD), in defining the appropriate solutions to the immigration problem in Djibouti within an integrated framework of humanitarian assistance and development. 7. With regard to the estimated 3,000 Ethiopian refugees still living in the refugee camps, UNHCR will continue to provide repatriation assistance to those who express the wish to return to their country of origin. At the same time, UNHCR will facilitate the transfer/repatriation to Ethiopia of the remaining Ethiopian urban refugees and displaced persons living in Djibouti-ville. 8. For Somali refugees, who are mainly from the Awdal province in North-West Somalia, UNHCR will revitalize plans for their repatriation, which have been stalled for over a year. This has been made possible since authorities in North-West Somalia have formally agreed to the voluntary return of Somali refugees from asylum countries. 9. UNHCR will assist in the reintegration of the estimated 18,000 Djiboutian refugees currently in north-eastern Ethiopia as and when their voluntary repatriation takes place. Efforts will be made, therefore, to provide a limited assistance package to the returnees and help them in the context of an integrated inter-agency approach with emphasis on rehabiliation of essential infrastructure in the areas of return. (b) Proposed budgets for 1996 (i) General Programmes (a) Care and maintenance 10. Despite improvements in the living conditions of refugees in the camps over the past two years, it remains necessary to continue to provide assistance in major sectors of transport and logistics, health, sanitation, water, and shelter. WFP will continue providing basic food supplies, whereas funds will be made available by UNHCR for the local purchase by the Office Nations d’Assistance aux Réfugiés et aux Sinistrés (ONARS) of fresh food items for use in the supplementary feeding centres. Basic non-food items such as tents, kitchen sets, blankets and stoves, which were last distributed to refugees in the camps in 1993, will also need to be renewed in 1996. 11. Somali refugees: With the agreement of the North-West Somalia authorities to the return of Somali refugees from asylum countries, up to 15,000 Somali refugees who had registered for voluntary repatriation in previous years may opt for return in the course of 1995 or early 1996, political developments permitting. However, given political uncertainties in the region it is assumed that not many refugees will wish to voluntarily repatriate in 1996. In view of this, UNHCR will ensure that in 1996 multi-sectoral care and maintenance assistance is provided to approximately 20,000 Somali refugees in the camps of Assamo (4,542), Holl-Holl (8,034) and Ali-Ade (7,206). The refugee population may reduce in the course of 1996 if organized voluntary repatriation takes place. A/AC.96/846/Part I/6 page 5 12. Ethiopian refugees: Care and maintenance assistance to nearly 3,000 Ethiopian refugees in the camps at Holl-Holl (1,393), Ali-Ade (795) and Assamo (768) will continue to be provided if the repatriation to Ethiopia does not take place in 1996. Indications are that up to 2,000 refugees in the camps are willing to register to voluntarily repatriate. The majority of those refugees likely to remain in the camps are military personnel of the former Government of Ethiopia. 13. Urban refugees: In addition to refugees in the camps, UNHCR will also continue to provide care and maintenance to the residual urban refugees who will remain in Djibouti-ville in 1996. It is envisaged that with the Government of Djibouti’s tougher stance against expatriates, most of the registered Ethiopian urban refugees will avail themselves of the UNHCR organized voluntary repatriation in 1995 or early 1996. (ii) Special Programmes 14. Horn of Africa: Under the Special Programme for the Horn of Africa, UNHCR will continue to promote the voluntary repatriation of Somali and Ethiopian refugees who will still be living in Djibouti in 1996. Positive political developments in the returnee countries necessitate that the process of repatriation which started in previous years should continue in 1996. 15. Repatriation: A revision to the project on the transfer/repatriation operations covering 15,000 urban refugees and displaced persons has been made. Another revision will be required during the second half of 1995 to cover the needs of 2,000 additional Ethiopian refugees in the camps who will be registered for repatriation during the year. Once the transfer/repatriation activities have been completed, BO Djibouti should be able to conduct a new census in the camps. 16. There have been a number of difficulties and delays in the repatriation of the Somali caseload. However, UNHCR Djibouti and UNHCR North-West Somalia will continue collaborating in order to promote conditions conducive for the repatriation to North-West Somalia and to identify specific rehabilitation projects to be implemented in the areas of origin of the Somali refugees so as to prepare for a more sustainable reintegration of the returnees. (c) Implementing partners 17. The Government’s Office, ONARS, has been and will continue to be UNHCR’s main implementing agency in Djibouti. In addition, the Japanese NGO, Association of Medical Doctors of Asia (AMDA), which currently implements the health sector, will continue to do so. UNESCO, which has started implementing educational activities in the camps in 1995, will also continue in that sector in 1996. 18. The monitoring services of four United Nations Volunteers (one in each refugee camp and one within UNHCR Branch Office in Djibouti) have been useful and will continue to be required in 1996. Finally, in order to consolidate the water sector activities in the refugee camps, discussions have taken place with the Italian NGO, Cooperazione Internationale (COOPI), to consider supervising this sector pending finalization of implementing arrangements. A/AC.96/846/Part I/6 page 6 (d) Programme Delivery and Administrative Support Costs (i) 1994 expenditure (all sources of funds) 19. Expenditure in 1994 was slightly lower than the revised estimates due to lower than expected common staff costs linked with staff rotation and benefits. (ii) Revised 1995 requirements (all sources of funds) 20. The revised 1995 requirements are not significantly different from initial estimates. (iii) Initial 1996 requirements (all sources of funds) 21. In view of the anticipated voluntary repatriation of both Ethiopian and Somali refugees during 1995, it is expected that UNHCR activities in Djibouti will decrease in 1996. The successful repatriation of more than 17,000 Ethiopian refugees has already led to the closure of one of the four refugee camps in Djibouti in February 1995.